The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.

Loading ...

Loading ...

This story appears in the {{article.article.magazine.pretty_date}} issue of {{article.article.magazine.pubName}}. Subscribe

It was Buckminster Fuller who noted, “To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” And so a bunch of innovators did, although it was not always planned that way.

And no, not talking about buggy whips, although yes, they are pretty much obsolete. We’re talking about more recent totems of our civilization including the following:

Dial-up internet

Dialing 4-1-1 for information

Classified ads in newspapers

Hard-copy encyclopedias

PDAs and Address books

Phone books

Rotary dial phones

Floppy discs

Typewriters

Gas station maps

Long distance charges

Film

Oh, and the iPhone. Not all iPhones, but the first-generation, 2007 original model, which will shortly be labeled “vintage” in the United States and “obsolete” everywhere else in the world.

All this will happen next month when changes the phone-that-revolutionized-mobile’s designation, which they do to products 5 years after they’re discontinued. So the iPhone original, which was discontinued in 2008, is due to fade into obsolescence this June. Just in time for an expected launch of Apple’s 7th generation software, rumored to be more emotionally engaging than the current versions, which would be good news for them.

Apple could certainly use something new. In this year’s Customer Loyalty Engagement Index – after leading the category, well, since they created the category – they slipped to #2, behind Samsung in the Smartphone category (followed by LG, , , Motorola, , and last, another name that might soon make the list of obsolete items, BlackBerry).

It was Steve Jobs, who noted that, “innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” So it will be really interesting to see where some innovative thinking from Apple leads this time around.

Stay tuned. Or perhaps sticking with our theme and avoiding the obsolete, we should more properly say, “stay connected” for more updates.

Find out more about what makes customer loyalty happen and how Brand Keys metrics is able to predict future consumer behavior: brandkeys.com. Visit our YouTube channel to learn more about Brand Keys methodology, applications and case studies.